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September 1 Parker Ridge Fire update:
Situation improving, overall fire danger
continues |
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September 1, 2015 |
With recent rain and cooler weather, the
situation at Boundary County's Parker Ridge Fire
have improved.
The fire, now at 6,599 acres, is 45% contained.
There are 82 personnel assigned to the fire, but
some of those will be leaving soon to other
assignments. A crew from Fairbanks, Alaska will
finish their assignment in Boundary County
today. A new crew of 21 firefighters from New
Mexico arrived in the area on Friday. This New
Mexico crew will be here helping on the fire for
11 more days.
Firefighters are patrolling for hot spots and
continuing to work on a smoldering peat bog in a
drainage ditch near the West Side Road. Tree
falling operations are working to remove hazard
trees.
Fire officials are keeping two helicopters
available for this fire, one for bucket drops
and one for reconnaissance. With rain and recent
winds, skies are clearer, allowing for much
better views of the fire from the air on the
helicopter reconnaissance flights. This helps
fire managers in assessment and planning the
most effective ways to engage the fire.
At this time, officials are also evaluating best
ways for rehabilitation of the 10 square miles
of burn area. Rehabilitation issues that need to
be addressed include stability of the slope in
the area, washout of sediment, and ensuring
integrity of the "road prism," which comprises
the roadway itself, the cut / fill zones of the
road, and ditches.
The Stage I alert for residents in the area has
now been lifted. The same trail closures remain
in place, which includes Parker Ridge Trail
#221, Fisher Peak Trail #14, and Long Canyon
Trail #16. In addition, the Westside Road north
of Copeland Road is open to local traffic only,
as a significant number of hazard trees have
fallen across the road.
Although recent rain and cooler temperatures
have provided an opportunity for firefighters to
make progress towards controlling existing
fires, there are still up to 70 fires actively
burning approximately 80,000 acres across the
Idaho Panhandle National Forest. The record dry
conditions have left forest vegetation void of
the moisture normally present this time of year.
Weather forecasts indicate that fire danger will
remain high across northern Idaho.
"It takes a continued pattern of moisture and
cooler temperatures for large dead fuels,
greater than three inches in diameter, to absorb
adequate moisture to reduce the risk of
dangerous wildfire spread," said Shoshana
Cooper, U.S. Forest Service Public Information
Officer. "When these fuels ignite they generate
intense heat and extreme fire conditions. Until
there is a significant amount of moisture that
typically characterizes autumn in north Idaho,
these fires are likely to resist any efforts to
contain them."
The severe shortage of firefighting resource
across the northwest leaves a large number of
fires on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests
unstaffed and with uncontrolled burning edges.
Forest Service officials have announced that the
areas across the Idaho Panhandle National Forest
that are currently under temporary emergency
wildfire closures will remain closed through the
Labor Day weekend.
"The decision to close large areas of the Idaho
Panhandle National Forests has been a very
difficult one given the impacts to local
communities and citizens; however, the safety of
the public and firefighters is our priority. We
will continue to monitor the fire activity
within these area closures with the intent to
reduce the size of them as soon as it is safe to
do so,” said Mary Farnsworth, Idaho Panhandle
National Forest Supervisor.
In the Boundary County area, the only closed
areas are the Parker Ridge Fire, part of the
West Side Road as described above, and the
trails listed above. Other regional fire areas
are also closed, and a large part of the
national forest in the Coeur d'Alene district is
also closed.
For a map of closed forest areas in our region,
click here. |
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